get_context

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why get_context needs a policy

This tool retrieves and queries task hierarchy metadata without modifying, executing, or deleting any data. It has no side effects and presents minimal risk of misuse even in an agentic context—the worst outcome would be information disclosure of task structure already visible to the agent.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'get_context' combined with description 'Read-only. Returns the context view for a task: the task itself, its parent, siblings, children, and tree-wide stats.' Explicit 'Read-only' statement indicates no side effects.

Risk signalsAdmin/system-level operation

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_context gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control get_context

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Conductor, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for get_context:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "get_context": {}
  }
}

get_context is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Conductor — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Conductor tools

Write agent_cancelled Signal that agent work was cancelled in response to a cancel control message. Write agent_done Signal that all agent work is complete. Write agent_update Report progress on an agent task. Call this as you make progress. Write archive_plan Archive a completed or abandoned plan, hiding it from default listings while preserving it Write create_plan Create a new plan and open it as the active context. Use this at the start of any goal tha Write create_task Create a new task. Pass parent_id to create a child of an existing task. Omit parent_id on Write open_plan Open an existing plan. Use this at the start of a session when resuming prior work. Openin Write plan_proposal Submit a structured plan proposal with a root task and child tasks.

All 16 Conductor tools →

Read tools on other servers

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about get_context

What does the get_context tool do? +

Read-only. Returns the context view for a task: the task itself, its parent, siblings, children, and tree-wide stats. Omit task_id to get the root task (. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Conductor MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_context? +

Register the Conductor MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_context: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Conductor. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_context? +

get_context is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit get_context? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_context rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.

How do I block get_context completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_context. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.

What MCP server provides get_context? +

get_context is provided by the Conductor MCP server (shannonbay/conductor). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Conductor tool call.

Start from Conductor, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →